How Long to Cook Chicken in the Crockpot (2024)

FAQs

How long does chicken have to be in the crockpot? ›

Cover your crock pot and cook chicken breasts on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F. Use chicken in your favorite recipes. Perfect for shredding!

We found that the only way to cook chicken (and turkey) in a slow cooker is on the low setting and for a relatively short amount of time.

Low: 7-8 hours to reach the simmer point. High: 3-4 hours to reach the simmer point. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

Research conducted by USDA FSIS indicates it's safe to cook large cuts of meat and poultry in a slow cooker.

Place the chicken and stock, broth, or water in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Cook the chicken. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and registers an internal temperature of 165°F, 4 to 5 hours on the LOW setting, or 2 to 3 hours on the HIGH setting. Shred the chicken.

A great rule of thumb is: For a whole chicken – Place it in your slow cooker breast side down. Cover with the lid and cook on High for around 4-5 hours or Low for 6-8 hours. For bone-in pieces - Arrange chicken pieces in a single layer in the slow cooker.

It's not too dry, not too wet… and it's easy to shred. To make it, simply put your boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs in the slow cooker, season with any seasonings you want to add, cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours. That's it!

Use a Meat Thermometer

When you are using a digital thermometer to check for doneness, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. If you're cooking meat on the bone, make sure the thermometer isn't touching the bone—it's a conductor of heat and could give you a false reading.

Aside from accidentally overcooking the meals, the most common reason we see for tough, rubbery, or overdone chicken is customers using a Crockpot that is far too big.

Change cooking times depending on your schedule. One hour on HIGH generally equals two hours on LOW.

Is 7 hours or 8 hours better? ›

In a joint consensus published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, experts recommend seven hours as the "magic number" for most healthy adults.

A general rule of thumb from Luis Sanchez, senior category manager for the appliance manufacturer Breville: To go from "High" to "Low" (or vice versa), multiply (or divide) the original time by 1.5 to 2.5 hours. And as with the cooking times for specific ingredients, these times are approximate.

What is this? With the exception of larger recipes (like 8+ servings), It only takes 2.5-3.5 hours on LOW for boneless, skinless chicken breast to be fully cooked in the slow cooker.

The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm. After this, it needs to be cooled and transferred into the refrigerator.

Do You Need to Add Liquid? As long as the breast pieces are in a single layer, in contact with the slow cooker, then no, it's not necessary to add any chicken broth or chicken stock. If you're doing multiple layers, you will need to add liquid to cover the meat, but I don't recommend this.

Cook on low for 5 hrs, then check that the chicken is cooked by wiggling the wing – it should feel very loose. Tip the chicken up so any liquid inside flows out, then cook on high for 30 mins. If the chicken isn't cooked through after the initial time, cook for another hour, then turn the heat up.

Use high heat setting: To expedite the cooking process, set your Crock Pot to the high heat setting instead of the low or medium option. This will ensure that the chicken cooks faster while still maintaining its tenderness.

Unless the cooked chicken is kept warm, above 140°F, the general rule of thumb for cooked chicken is that it should not sit out on your kitchen table or buffet for more than two hours. Any cooked chicken left at room temperature for more than two hours should probably be thrown out.

Sear the Chicken Before Adding It to the Slow Cooker

A caramelized piece of meat will always taste better in your dish.